It was unusually quiet that night. The hospital hallways were utterly empty, making it a good spot for a story narrative—or like a post-apocalyptic intro for a dystopian movie: the calm before the storm.
"Damn, the vibe tonight's giving me chills, not gonna lie," said Felicia, a co-intern walking beside me. She even tucked her hands inside her uniform, acting like she was freezing.
"Honestly? True," I agreed.
"And have you seen the news? They say there'll be a partial eclipse. Too bad I can't go out to admire the moon. I badly want to see it… maybe a vampire or something will show up and kidnap me." She sighed dramatically, clearly lost in her fantasies.
I rolled my eyes and laughed at her blabbering. She's always been a fan of gothic mythology and read a lot back in our first years. As far as I remember, she almost flunked a subject once because she stayed up all night reading a book series and didn't wake up in time for the midterms.
"You're at it again. We all know those things aren't real."
"You can't say for sure. With billions of people… you can't know they're all human."
I raised a brow. "Your brain really goes beyond limits."
"Is that a compliment? If yes, thank you," she said sarcastically.
"Whatever you interpret it as," I shrugged.
"Aww, a compliment then. Thanks, Isayah!" She bumped my shoulder, her smile widening. She was teasing, of course—she knew it wasn't really a compliment. Maybe…
"Whatever. Let's just get coffee in the pantry. We have a long night ahead, and I need it to survive," I urged.
Arriving at the pantry, Felicia still couldn't stop blabbering about her mythological fantasies. Even while preparing her espresso, her mouth wouldn't quit.
"And what if I'm his missing piece? His fate? And my blood is his greatest addiction and obsession. Ahh!" She squeaked like a teenage girl seeing her crush. "That'd be awesome! I'd be fine offering my blood. Not only that, I could also offer my—" she winked. I knew exactly what she meant.
"Vampires aren't like that. And, you know, in real life, they'd be extinct even if they were real. With evolution, they wouldn't be able to keep up… or they'd just be lab experiments," I shrugged.
"Ayy, so twisted your thinking, ah." She seemed disturbed.
"Just telling the possible truth," I said, sipping my freshly made hot milk.
"You're ruining my imagination, Isayah!" She slapped my shoulder, almost spilling my coffee onto my mouth and clothes.
"Felicia!"
"Oops, sorry, hehe." She even did a peace sign.
I shook my head and sipped my milk again. It didn't taste that sweet, but not too bland either. Just how I usually like it: milk. No sugar. After finishing, I set the cup down on the counter and leaned back, crossing my arms. I stared into nothingness, catching my reflection in the pantry door where the food stock was kept.
Dang. I looked like shit. Dark bags under my eyes, hair messy… the works.
"But what if there's a possibility they're real?" Felicia didn't let go of the topic.
"They're not," I said simply, tired of this discussion.
She rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. They're not."
"Good."
Silence engulfed us. Only the hum of the water dispenser and faint electrical noise from the machines filled the pantry. It was unusual—after all, we were used to the chaos of the emergency room. But this was one of those rare nights where we could relax.
As we sipped our coffee in silence, a sudden bang echoed from the pantry stockroom. Both of us jumped, and Felicia nearly choked on her coffee.
"Ugh! What the heck was that?!" she half-shouted, coughing.
I shrugged, set down my cup of milk, and walked toward the pantry stock door. Peering through the glass window, I saw… nothing. Just darkness. Maybe it was a shelf tipping over? A gravitational malfunction? Whatever.
"Did you see anything?" Felicia asked.
"Nothing."
"Go check. What if a vampire was there—" I shot her a flat look. She shut up and just urged me to go inside.
But before I could, a hand stained red peeked from the doorway. Felicia gasped, and the next thing I heard was a loud shriek from her.
And then… the face appeared. Pale, not-thin, smiling way too wide. Teeth tainted red. Eyes… grey. Dead. Lifeless.
"Hi!" The person—he… was he even a person?—greeted cheerfully.
"What… the… fuck… are you?"
The hell. Did Felicia's fantasies just manifest into reality? Nah. I must be losing it.
I shook my head, slapped my own face, and then… slapped the creature standing in front of me.
"Aww. What was that for?" He looked dumbfounded, holding his cheek with his red-stained hand.
I slapped the other side of his cheek.
"Aww!"
"Shit. I'm going crazy," I breathed.
Maybe it was the sleepless nights, fatigue, lack of proper nutrition… lack of blood catching up with me. A sudden pang of pain shot through my head as I collapsed, hitting the floor.
The last thing I remember before everything went black was the creature's wide, creepy smile. Then… sleep.